Redeem The Villain [Quick Travel] Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Following Me

“What, the Saint Son is unwilling?”

“I didn’t expect the Elf Saint Son to have such a hobby.” Aleksi knew how much the elves loathed him, but seeing the elf’s flushed face only disgusted him further.

He wished he could stab the elf in front of him to death right then and there. For a split second, his eyes darkened to the color of ink, but he retracted the look just as quickly. The elf, whose face was bright red while holding the clothes, didn’t notice at all.

Lu Qinian couldn’t describe the feeling, but the burning sensation on his face grew more intense.

He wasn’t the real Elf Thor. He was just a recent college graduate, and this kind of awkward situation made him want to bury himself in the dirt. How could he maintain the composure expected of an elf?

Besides, Aleksi, that massive pervert, might have deliberately prepared these clothes to disgust him.

“I…”

Before he could offer a defense, Aleksi interrupted him with a voice full of disdain.

“What a pity. I have no interest in this sort of thing, especially when dealing with an annoying ‘elf’.”

The word “elf” was heavily emphasized, making Lu Qinian’s face turn another shade of green.

The undisguised contempt in the Merfolk’s tone, coupled with that extremely punchable face, made Lu Qinian’s breath catch in his throat, unable to go up or down. His originally shy, flushed face turned pale from being choked up.

This dead fish was going to infuriate him to death.

Aleksi had been staring at him the whole time, and now he clearly saw the elf’s distorted expression. It was exactly like a pure maiden who had been splashed with dirty water, indignant and desperate to prove her innocence—it almost made him want to laugh.

No one would feel good being treated with such contempt. Lu Qinian was grinding his teeth, but facing Aleksi, this brutal fish who would genuinely kill him over a disagreement, he ultimately had to swallow his anger silently.

He couldn’t retaliate, but a couple of sarcastic remarks should be fine, right?

“I thought His Majesty arranged this deliberately to humiliate me.” As he spoke, the garment was casually tossed aside. “I almost misunderstood that His Majesty had feelings for me. Now it seems this was truly a great ‘misunderstanding’.”

Aleksi’s eyes glazed over for a second. No matter how he heard it, the elf’s words sounded like a complaint that he was using despicable methods.

He always killed with a single strike. Even if he intended to torture someone, it was merely beheading, disemboweling, or slowly bleeding them out. He always despised such ineffective, non-lethal methods.

Thinking this, he glanced suspiciously at the elf. The conviction in the elf’s expression didn’t seem faked.

He wasn’t one to dwell on things. If he couldn’t figure it out, he wouldn’t bother.

“Since it’s a misunderstanding, let’s deal with some proper business first.” With that, Aleksi strode toward the sofa.

The door behind the Merfolk was not fully closed. As he walked forward, the half-open gap revealed the corner of a garment that was no longer obscured, making it particularly noticeable.

Lu Qinian knew Aleksi believed him, and seeing that fabric instantly confirmed the suspicion he already held.

It was indeed him. Even if these clothes weren’t deliberately used by Aleksi to disgust him, they must have been prepared personally by the Fish Butler. The only thing he didn’t understand was why the Fish Butler would do this.

Was it deliberate targeting, an attempt to frame someone, or did he want Lu Qinian dead? In his memory, Thor and the Fish Butler had no relationship and had never even met.

That left only one possibility: the Fish Butler was working for someone else.

The elf bent low, head bowed, adopting the posture of a subject. Even from the side, those green eyes were striking. Aleksi liked those eyes the most. It wasn’t until the golden hair the elf had tucked behind his ear drifted forward, completely obscuring his eyes, that the Merfolk King regained his cold-blooded demeanor.

“Of course, my King. I just wonder if the Fish Butler should be privy to this ‘proper business’.”

As soon as he spoke, the corner of the garment in the doorway instantly vanished.

Aleksi caught the subtle movement of the elf secretly retracting his gaze. He couldn’t help but curl his lips.

This elf in front of him was much more interesting than he was at the banquet. He unexpectedly piqued Aleksi’s interest, making him want to grasp him in his hand and torment him a little.

Lu Qinian ignored the pervert behind him.

It was indeed the Fish Butler who deliberately placed the clothes, most likely hoping Aleksi would stab him to death. Even if the Merfolk didn’t kill him, the elf would certainly suffer greatly. Now it seemed the Fish Butler hadn’t achieved his goal and had accidentally exposed himself instead.

Wait.

Aleksi was inherently sensitive and suspicious. How could he not know the Fish Butler was eavesdropping?

He had too little information. Lu Qinian lowered his head even further. The thought of Aleksi’s sinister expression, wanting to stab him to death, made the wound on his abdomen ache faintly. Fortunately, he had managed to muddle through by playing dumb.

Aleksi glanced at the doorway, raised an eyebrow, and said nonchalantly, “The door is closed. Naturally, he won’t hear anything.”

After a moment, the door locked.

Lu Qinian stood with his back to the Merfolk. He gripped the doorknob tightly, but the deep frown on his face was smoothed out the instant he turned around.

“Does the Saint Son want to scold me?” With the door locked, Aleksi’s posture became more relaxed.

The Merfolk leaned lazily into the sofa, his hands resting casually at his sides. Even his legs, which did not naturally belong to a Merfolk, were stretched out and propped on the coffee table in front of him.

He looked nothing like a king.

“I wouldn’t dare.”

Half a month later, the two who had been fiercely antagonistic at the banquet were unexpectedly sitting peacefully in the same room.

Lu Qinian’s mind stalled for a few seconds. “Are you saying I need to follow you every day and release my Affinity? All the time?”

Did he think he was a perpetual motion machine?! Didn’t he need rest?!

Although he was genuinely tempted, as only by staying close to Aleksi could he complete the redemption mission.

If the Elf race found out their Saint Son was following the tyrant around, they would probably want to kill him. The thought of being branded with the most shameful title among the elves later on…

Wait, he wasn’t Thor. Shameful or not, completing the mission and successfully resurrecting was paramount!

Perhaps the elf was agonizing for too long, as Aleksi’s tone gradually became impatient. “What? Is the Saint Son unwilling?”

“It’s not that I’m unwilling, but ‘all the time’ is a bit too…”

Did that mean he had to follow the other party even to the bathroom?

The elf’s brow furrowed, his expression twisted, and even his eyes looked bewildered. Aleksi suddenly found the elf amusing and chuckled lightly. “What? Do you want to follow me everywhere?”

Lu Qinian instantly looked up at him. The Merfolk’s skin was wheat-colored, and his dark eyes were looking right back at him. Perhaps his long eyelashes made his eyes appear very large.

Aleksi was incredibly handsome, more so than anyone Lu Qinian had ever seen, making him stare blankly for a moment. The Merfolk’s laughter echoed in his ears—a sound that was melodious and bone-softening. It wasn’t just laughter; it was more like a Merfolk’s chant, clean and clear, like a deep, empty valley, reverberating around him.

For a moment, Lu Qinian couldn’t snap out of it.

He knew Merfolk chants could control people’s minds. Merfolk with high mastery of chanting could not only charm people but also kill them easily.

Aleksi crossed his arms over his chest, his fingers lightly tapping his arm. The elf in front of him seemed stunned, completely motionless.

His face instantly darkened. What did this mean? Was he playing dumb because he didn’t want to answer? Did he expect Aleksi to repeat himself?

I am the King!

But the elf couldn’t hear the silent roar in his heart.

“Lost your tongue?”

The gloomy voice was like shattered ice, cold enough to instantly bring Lu Qinian back to his senses.

He stepped out of the bathroom, haphazardly drying his hair with a towel. He had showered twice that day to completely wash away the damp, sticky feeling on his body. He felt much more comfortable, and his mood had improved slightly.

He paused the movement of his hand, the frustration in his heart lingering.

The thought of what just happened made him feel a little scared. He hadn’t expected to stare blankly at Aleksi’s face, forgetting the Merfolk’s temperament entirely, and even daring to ask such a question.

The elf stood frozen at the bathroom door. The towel was half-damp, covering his freshly washed golden hair. However, the cleaned strands hadn’t been squeezed dry. After only a few seconds, the water dripping from the ends had already soaked a large patch of the carpet. By all appearances, he was not someone who knew how to manage long hair.

After a while, as if he had figured something out, he started rubbing his hair again carelessly. A few seconds later, his pinky finger strayed and snagged a few strands of wet hair. When he moved, the tug made him grimace. “Hiss, that hurts.”

The elf’s hair quality was excellent, but Lu Qinian had no idea how to manage it. After just two rubs, the golden hair on his head was a tangled mess. Not only was it not drying, but now it was pulling painfully on his scalp.

Helpless, he went back into the bathroom and picked up a comb, patiently trying to detangle it. Unexpectedly, instead of combing out the knots, they all piled up together. Every movement made his scalp hurt.

“So annoying. I should just cut it short.”

He gave up and finally went to sleep, burying himself under the covers with a head full of messy, wet hair.

The next day.

Lu Qinian sat blankly on the bed. His golden hair was even more disheveled, puffed up into a large mass spread across his back. No wonder he felt something poking his back uncomfortably in his sleep.

Fortunately, the wet hair hadn’t given him a headache.

According to yesterday’s agreement, he now had to go to Aleksi’s office to release his Affinity.

Lu Qinian stared intently at the long hair in the mirror. He rummaged through the room and finally found a pair of scissors. He hesitated for only a second.

— “Snip”

Strands of golden hair floated down to the floor.

Finally, the tangled knots fell away in clumps.

Lu Qinian shook his ear-length golden hair, picked up the comb, and brushed away the loose strands. It was ugly, horribly ugly. It looked alright from the front, but the hair at the back was uneven, varying in length, and some strands already showed signs of splitting.

His head looked like something had chewed on it.

A knock sounded, followed by a voice: “Saint Son, are you awake?”

The voice wasn’t the Fish Butler’s. Lu Qinian was a little surprised. He thought that old bastard would try some more tricks to annoy him today.

Without hesitation, he poked his head out of the bathroom door and called toward the room door, “Come in.”

“Yes.”

When the door opened, the elf only showed his head. His golden hair was extremely messy, a few stray strands clung to his exceptionally delicate face, and his emerald eyes looked straight at the person.

Xiao Guo had never seen such a sight. Even the flattery on his lips was forgotten, stunned by the scene before him. He even forgot to speak.

Lu Qinian blinked. He had expected an annoying Merfolk, even if it wasn’t the Fish Butler. He hadn’t expected the knocker to be a child. His tone naturally softened when addressing the child. “Who are you?”

Xiao Guo instantly lowered his head, his small face turning pale. He had heard from Sister Ling yesterday that the new King highly valued this elf, and that the Fish Butler had been carried away covered in blood for displeasing the elf.

Fearing the worst, he bit his lip tightly. He had just seen the elf’s hair. He didn’t know if it would anger the elf. If the elf got angry… Thinking of this, his face grew even paler, and his legs trembled.

This completely stumped Lu Qinian. He had only asked a question and hadn’t said anything harsh, yet the little Merfolk looked like a startled bird, pale and trembling.

“You…” As soon as Lu Qinian started to speak, the little Merfolk trembled even more violently.

Lu Qinian pursed his lips, feeling an itch in his nose. He raised his hand to rub it and found several golden loose hairs.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “Don’t be afraid. Do you know how to cut hair?”

Author’s Note:

I will be updating every other day for now. I’ve been too busy with work recently, which caused a delay.